Nursing Diagnosis: A Complete Guide for Students & Professionals

 
What is a Nursing Diagnosis?
A nursing diagnosis is a clinical judgment a nurse makes to identify client problems and their causes.

It serves as the basis for planning interventions and evaluating client outcomes.

Unlike medical diagnoses, which focus on identifying diseases, nursing diagnoses focus on:

 	
The client’s response to the illness
 	
The associated symptoms
 	
How the symptoms affect the client’s daily lives

For example, while a medical diagnosis might identify pneumonia, a nursing diagnosis might focus on the client’s ineffective airway clearance due to the disease. A nursing diagnosis allows nurses to create a nursing care plan (NCP) to guide how they care for the client.

NANDA International (NANDA-I) provides a comprehensive list of standardized nursing diagnoses to ensure consistency and accuracy globally. NANDA-I continuously updates its guidelines to reflect the latest in nursing knowledge, making it easier for nurses to deliver high-quality care.

The standards date back to the 1950s, and about 20 years later, NANDA-I held its first national conference to classify nursing diagnoses.

The organization continues to host these meetings to keep the definitions of diagnoses current.   Nurses can also submit new diagnoses to the organization for review.




Purpose of Nursing Diagnosis
The primary purpose of nursing diagnosis is to provide a framework for identifying and addressing the client’s health needs to improve client outcomes.

It provides a holistic view of the client by considering physical, emotional, social, and environmental factors.

Here’s why nursing diagnoses matter:

 	
Identification of client needs: Nursing diagnoses help nurses identify the most critical issues affecting a client’s health. By systematically assessing the client, nurses can determine the most pressing concerns, such as pain, risk of infection, or anxiety.


 	
Early detection and intervention: Early identification of potential health problems allows for timely interventions, preventing complications and improving client outcomes. For example, identifying the risk for falls early on can lead to preventive measures that keep the client safe.

Guidance in developing care plans: Nursing diagnoses are integral in creating effective NCPs. They provide a clear framework for the interventions needed and the expected outcomes. This ensures that care is efficient and effective, meeting the client’s needs.